Breaking: Police divers find items linked to local ram-raids

On Monday police divers conducted a search of Tomerong Creek, at Falls Creek where they located a number of items of interest.

On Monday police divers conducted a search of Tomerong Creek, at Falls Creek where they located a number of items of interest.

Police divers found a number of items possibly related to recent ram-raids in the Shoalhaven.

On Monday police divers conducted a search of Tomerong Creek, at Falls Creek where they located a number of items of interest.

At about 4.15am on Thursday April 10, a service station owner was notified of an alarm activation at his service station on the Princes Highway in Falls Creek, just south of Nowra.

The owner attended the service station, which was closed at the time and found that it had been broken into.

A large safe containing cash was missing, as were numerous cartons of cigarettes. The property had also been seriously damaged.

Four days later, shortly after 5am on Monday April 14, police were called to a service station on the Princes Highway in Wandandian after reports of a ram-raid robbery.

Two to three men in a white Toyota Hilux ute had reversed through the front door of the service station, before using chains and a sledgehammer to dislodge an in-store ATM and hoist onto the rear of the ute.

Two staff members who interrupted the robbery were threatened with the sledge hammer and chain, before the men – who were disguised by black clothing and balaclavas – left the scene in the ute. They were last seen heading north on the Princes Highway.

Detectives from the Shoalhaven Local Area Command formed Strike Force Lagul to investigate the ram-raid robberies and believe the same group are responsible for both offences.